Betsy - sounds like a typical user - focus on the important thing - get
that book out of WordPerfect! it is long past time to migrate to a
currently available/supported piece of software - try making it work in
LibreOffice* or one of the specialized academic editors designed to
handle citations and footnotes, while you still have a version that hasn't
been corrupted. And nobody in their 80's 'likes' change - that has nothing
to do with computers. you won't either....  ;)

Chromebook +1  the more Google does, the simpler your life will be.

btw - you have identified a new and growing business opportunity, IT care
for the elderly. I don't think it is covered by healthcare and
unfortunately, I know of nobody in the country that does it. sorry Betsy,
you are the designated hitter - final suggestions: she could try the local
Linux User Group or ask for a student's help - try The Haverford School out
on the mainline. oh, and get skype - great for chatting..

Good Luck - Ed

*because free software has a tradition of importing anything and everything
and proprietary software doesn't.


On Sat, Aug 17, 2013 at 10:42 AM, Betsy Schwartz <[email protected]> wrote:

> PS I think Mom would *like* a Mac, but finding one and getting it onto the
> internet, installing new software, migrating her data , and teaching her
> the new OS is: also a big job. Mom's an independent adult and if she wants
> to work with someone to do that, more power to her. I'm too far away.
> Caveat that switching software confuses the heck  out of her and trying to
> switch OS, mail program, browser, and editor all at once would be painful
> and require a lot of followup phone support.  And it would completely cut
> her off from support from me. I've sometimes managed to pull her out of a
> jam by opening exactly the same program she's using and reading the menus
> step by step. When I can't do that, like for Word Perfect which I don't
> own, or when my Windows 7 Pro doesn't match her Windows 7 Home, our phone
> support sessions end up completely dead in the water. I don't have a Mac
> (or want one)
>
> (did I mention that Mom is editing an 800-page book using Word Perfect?
> Her fourth? With massive footnotes? Switching word processors alone is not
> a trivial task)
>
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